


Petals fall, and the heart breaks

by komaegi



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hanahaki Disease, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-30
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-08-18 16:22:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8168332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/komaegi/pseuds/komaegi
Summary: You could compare flowers to love.Small tiny things, grow into something bigger and more astounding.Little plants turn to beautiful flowers, crushes turn into love.





	

**Author's Note:**

> that's my second fic posted on ao3 and my first on this account!! i wrote this last month but didn't have the chance to post it. for starters, i'd like to say i didn't tag some characters (the 78th class) because they only had a few lines. the mystery character/ship with komaeda is only implied, so you can take it as any ship you want (however, i did have someone in mind so if you can guess it correctly, props to you!) for last, i'm not a great writer in my opinion, but hopefully you can enjoy it!

I.  
Flowers are beautiful.  
You can't be sure whether that is a fact or not. But either way, you can see that people rarely dislike flowers.  
You could compare flowers to love.  
Small tiny things, grow into something bigger and more astounding.  
Little plants turn to beautiful flowers, crushes turn into love.

He's not sure whether these are his true feelings or not, but Naegi could say he likes flowers.  
It could either be that, or he might be more neutral towards them.  
He knows that not everyone likes flowers, since they kill other's loved ones.  
It's scary, but he still thinks they're beautiful.  
He's not sure if it's appropriate to think like that, but flowers are still pleasant to look at.  
But he found beauty in many things: Smiles, the sun, the sky, poems, seeing people with their pets.  
Komaeda Nagito.  
There are too many to list, it's a long list that keeps being updated everyday.

However, Komaeda is at the top of the list. It's impossible to forget about him for once.  
He's pretty sure that he likes him, Naegi isn't that oblivious to his feelings when it comes to love.  
He thinks Komaeda likes him too. It's not an accurate prediction but he hopes it's true.  
It might sound selfish, but that's how love is sometimes.  
Love hurts. Love tears your heart apart, then leaves you dead.  
Naegi thinks that even though flowers kill, it's love that brings them to do so.  
It's love that pushes people to —and even beyond their limits, after all.

Naegi is glad that none of the people he knows got the so-called Hanahaki Disease.  
He doesn't want to hate flowers, at least not like that.  
Moreover, he didn't want to lose anyone.  
None of his classmates, his seniors, his acquaintances, his family.  
You couldn't be sure when someone faces unrequited love until they begin coughing up flower petals.  
He's certain it won't happen to anyone he knows.  
He feels bad for the others, who have caught the disease.  
The pain of a broken loving heart is certainly excruciating.

Of course removing the flower from your throat is easy, but he knows how valued love is.  
Flowers could die so easily, but it takes a while to kill love.  
Love could be short-lived at some times, but the more it grows, the harder getting rid of it gets.  
Love is truly… impressive…  
He doesn't know how much his love for Komaeda is.  
It's strong, he knows that. He just doesn't know how strong it is.  
He's sure that his love is purely true.  
Naegi isn't really one to deceive himself.

  
II.  
Flowers are beautiful, yet so weak.  
You can say that's a half-opinion, half-fact. Not everyone thinks flowers are beautiful, but it's a known fact that they get crushed so easily.  
No one would want their love to be crushed and broken to shattered pieces.  
So everyone lets their small crush to bloom into love.

They sometimes studied together.  
…If playing cards was even considered "studying".  
But it apparently is. It works on improving your talent.  
Of course Naegi's luck couldn't surpass Komaeda's, but he was lucky enough to defeat him in an incredibly little numbers of rounds  
Komaeda said so, he told him that his luck is getting better.  
It was nice to hear, it made him happy.  
"I lost again…" He mumbled, it was expected but he couldn't help but feel disappointed in his "good" luck "It's unfair to go against you."  
"My luck is entirely something else." Komaeda answered with a laugh "Yours work differently so you don't need to be so worked up about it."

"You're just more used to your luck." Naegi responded back "Besides, I'm pretty unlucky."  
"That's wrong." He shook his head "You wouldn't be Super High School Level Good Luck if you're unlucky."  
It was reassuring to hear these words, despite the fact that he had always had the wrong outlook about their talent.  
Naegi's not sure if he still has this idea about talent being someone's worth –he hope he doesn't– but he doesn't talk about it as much as before.  
Even with his soft smiles, he was too harsh.  
And it worries him. Naegi doesn't like it when Komaeda's hurting others —including himself.  
He stands up, an apologetic smile on his face "I… need to go to the bathroom…"

Naegi nods, he's not sure why Komaeda asks for his permission when it comes to simple things like these.  
It's too polite… especially considering that they could be considered as friends at this level, possibly even more than that.  
He blushes a little bit.  
"What's wrong?" He doesn't hear the door swinging open.  
"N-Nothing…!" He answers, trying his best to stop his face from flushing red.  
Komaeda hums, his hand pressed against his mouth.  
"Are you alright?" Naegi asks, eyeing the slender fingers pressed against Komaeda's mouth.  
Komaeda hesitates, then hums again.  
Naegi's first thought is to remove his hand, so he reaches for the hand, trying to pull it away.

Naegi hears a cough first. Then, a red petal falls on the table.  
A rose's petal.  
Komaeda removes his hand, coughing as red petals spread all over the table.  
"Sorry…" He mutters and quickly leaves, leaving the scent of roses in the room.  
The scene before him was beautiful, but still saddening in some way.  
Naegi didn't want to believe it, but he can't convince himself to deny something he witnessed.  
He didn't want to believe that Komaeda loved someone else.  
He really didn't want to believe that Komaeda, the person he loves, has the Hanahaki Disease.  
It hurts, he felt his heart clench, it hurts deeply.  
"It's beautiful." His voice sounds shaken, but he smiles at the sight of scattered petals in front of him "It's so beautiful."

  
III.  
Flowers can speak.  
Each flower had its own language, so they can't understand each other.  
Yellow roses talked like knights. Their voices were brave, honest and devoted.  
Pink roses spoke confidently, you could feel that you could trust them.  
White roses were devoted, but they still spoke in this innocent tone.  
And red roses… simply spoke in love.

Naegi could say that he likes flowers.  
But he liked many other things. He liked the shining sun, people's smiles, his friends, his mother's homemade curry rice.  
He liked many things. He couldn't list all of them, as the list of things he liked keeps renewing itself.  
Speaking of things he likes, he loved other things too.  
If we could make a list of it, it would look exactly like this.  
"Things Naegi Makoto loves"  
1\. Komaeda Nagito  
2.  
3.  
4.  
5.  
…  
Is that really all of it?

Naegi hums to himself, that's probably all of it.  
It wasn't like he could add anything more at the moment.  
It wasn't like he could re-write anything more.  
If it was rewritten it would probably look something like this.  
"Things Naegi Makoto loves"  
1\. Komaeda Nagito  
2\. Komaeda Nagito's smile  
3\. Komaeda Nagito's voice  
4\. Komaeda Nagito's eyes  
5\. Komaeda Nagito's laugh  
It would be too many to list. He'd much rather stick to 'Komaeda Nagito'.  
He knew that it will simply explain that he loves everything about Komaeda.

As loving as that sounds, he couldn't tell him that directly.  
It was weak to admit that, but that's okay.  
Admitting your weakness makes you stronger, doesn't it?  
He had to at least build courage to ask Komaeda about the person he likes.  
As painful as it sounded, it's still necessary.  
He had many questions, he couldn't just guess the answers for each one.  
Maybe it'd be better to write them on a paper and give it to him.  
But maybe; more questions will pop up in his mind.  
It really is complicated.

"Maybe tomorrow," He answers tiredly, it's not too late so he wonders why he's so exhausted "I'll go see him tomorrow."  
He could feel himself smiling. It's a sleepy smile, he feels his eyelids slowly shut.  
He could give it enough thinking tomorrow.  
He'd be glad if he could just see him tomorrow. They don't have to talk, he just wanted to see him.  
He knows asking Komaeda for answers is important but it doesn't really matter when Komaeda is in front of him.  
He might forget about it tomorrow.  
But he hopes he doesn't, he hopes he can ask Komaeda his questions tomorrow.  
So, he falls into deep sleep, dreaming of dark red roses.

  
IV.  
Flowers attract many butterflies.  
Butterflies love flowers. So they gather around it a lot.  
Humans also love love, but they can't gather around it.  
It's disappointing, but you can't stand close to what cannot be seen.  
But, for humans, the only way to obtain love is to wish for it.  
Desire could be strong enough to give someone love.

He knocked on the door in silence.  
He was confident he'd be able to ask him about it today.  
He knocked, knocked, knocked, knocked.  
And then, knocked again.  
The door slammed open.  
It was a bit startling to him. But he still smiled.  
"Good morning…" It was awkward to talk to him, after bothering him with all the knocking "Can I come in?"  
A pause. Naegi didn't know what he could expect.  
"Why…?" Komaeda's voice was really quiet.  
"I want to talk to you." He couldn't really say it in any other way.  
He didn't want to make it all complicated.

"Why… me…?" His voice was unusually slow.  
"Because…" Naegi didn't really know how to answer that.  
So he doesn't continue.  
Komaeda sighs a little.  
"Come in."  
"Thank you." The atmosphere is too tense.  
It's not really comforting.  
His room is full of flower petals and that makes it even less comforting.  
"I didn't get to clean the room last night." He answers "Sorry for the mess."  
Naegi hums. He doesn't mention that the room itself looks tidier than his.  
"What did you want to talk about?"

"Komaeda-kun likes someone, right?" Naegi feels like he can't ask this directly, but he can't explain it in a better way "That's why you have the Hanahaki Disease…"  
His voice trails away. Komaeda only smiles.  
"Yes. I like someone." His expression turned brighter "I'm sorry for not telling you. I didn't want you to be worried."  
Of course Komaeda knew that, Naegi told him that he'd be worried if anyone he knows caught the disease.  
"Who is it?" For some reason, the question felt too heavy.  
"It's a secret." His face is red, but he's still smiling "All that you need to know is that they're fascinating."  
Fascinating…?  
"It's okay if they don't love me back." He has a big bright smile on his face "I will still love them."

"You're faithful." Naegi answers, he notices that his own voice shrinked a bit "Many people would rather remove the flower and forget their love to save themselves."  
"It's because it isn't true love." He replies back "True love is stronger than that."  
Naegi is silent for a while.  
His heart began to ache a little.  
"You're going to die." The words slipped from his tip of his tongue.  
"That's okay." Komaeda laughs "It would make me happy to die like that."  
'It wouldn't make me happy.' is what Naegi wants to say.  
But he doesn't.  
He only gets up, with a smile.  
"I should go now. I wouldn't want to miss class. See you later."

  
V.  
Some flowers look nice, but still end up being poisonous.  
Flowers might be beautiful, but sometimes they hurt you.  
You might sit on your deathbed, slowly dying, just because you touched a flower.  
It's not surprising to know that love also could hurt.  
Heartbreak hurts, rejection hurts, it's all painful.  
But unrequited love hurts the most.

Naegi knew that he couldn't depend on his feelings.  
He knew that even if Komaeda wasn't dating anyone, it doesn't mean that he doesn't like someone else.  
It was fair. He doesn't have the right to control others.  
It was expected. He should've known from that day that Komaeda did like someone who doesn't like him back.  
Naegi knows that he isn't one to dwell on things like these. Everyone told him that he was so cheerful.  
He's pretty sure that's how he feels all the time. It wasn't wrong.  
He had always been a positive person.  
He could always forget about it. Focus on something else.  
He could always move on.

Part of him knew that he couldn't do that at the moment.  
It was painful. He knew all along, but it still hurt so deeply.  
Even when the rejection wasn't direct, it still hurt.  
He bit his lips. He didn't expect it at all.  
He didn't expect that it would be that painful.  
But it was, it was so painful. He's sure he never felt emotional pain that hurt him to this point.  
It wasn't fair.  
As much selfish as that sounds, he still thought that it wasn't fair.  
He knows that he's not happy. He doesn't understand why Komaeda would tell him that "It's okay" when it's most likely not.  
He said he was happy as long as he kept on loving them, but that's a lie.  
It wasn't fair. He wasn't happy. He can't continue on like that.

"Why would you lie to me?" He wishes he could ask him that "No one can feel happy about a broken heart."  
He could tell that his voice was unlike him.  
"Komaeda-kun, you liar." He smiles a little "Trust me a little more, believe in me a bit more."  
It could be just for today, he could let it all out today, then forget about it.  
"After all, I…" His voice shakes a little, his face flushes red "I'm your… friend… aren't I? We're friends."  
It's all he could ever be at the moment.  
It hurts.  
He begins screaming, it's the only way to let it out.  
No one could hear after all. He could let it all out.  
He didn't know that feeling for so long. He didn't cry much.  
But he was now. He was screaming his lungs out, sobbing violently to the point that his body couldn't take it.

His body wasn't used to all of that.  
So he coughs, coughs, coughs, coughs.  
Then coughs again.  
It's even painful to take cough like that, but Naegi thinks it's the least painful feeling of all.  
His throat felt numb.  
He's not sure if he could handle it.  
He's not sure when was the last time he screamed like that, he doesn't really want to know.  
He continues coughing. He wonders when it'll stop.  
He grabs a bottle of water straight to his mouth. He would drink it all at once, but he thinks that it's a bad idea.  
A soft cough escapes from his mouth.  
A tulip's petal follows it.  
He didn't expect that of all things.  
"Looks like we're both going in the same path." He answers with a small laugh "How unexpected."

  
VI.  
Flowers welt easily.  
If you think about it, it's ideal.  
It would be scary if flowers couldn't die. Maybe they'd grow larger than humans.  
Maybe it's possible, it might be possible in a few centuries.  
Evolution can cause that.  
But for now, they can remain small and adorable.

Naegi thought of skipping the class, as it's not necessary to go.  
But it might be suspicious, so he would rather stay there for a bit then leave in silence.  
He wouldn't want to make his classmates worry.  
So, he sits in his seat, hoping that he won't cough.  
It might take too long, but he's willing to wait.  
His mind ponders as he sits on his desk.  
He thinks of Komaeda's smile. It's beautiful.  
He thinks of Komaeda's voice. It's soothing.  
He thinks of Komaeda's eyes. They're soft.  
He thinks of Komaeda's laugh. It's melodic.  
He thinks of Komaeda's blush…  
It's painful… He thinks, as petals fall from his mouth, it's too painful.

His classmates gather around him.  
"Are you okay?" Maizono's asks, he nods in reply.  
"A-Are these… petals…? A-Are you sick?" Fujisaki sounds worried, Naegi understands.  
"Naegi-kun! You shouldn't be in class when you're not feeling well!" Ishimaru's voice is loud but he worried, Naegi doesn't like it.  
He doesn't like it when he's making his classmates worry.  
"I-I'm fine! You don't have to worry about me!" He answers, with a smile on his face.  
"You're sick! We can't ignore that!" Asahina answers firmly "You need to get a surgery!"  
It's not possible to do so right now. He'd have to tell his parents.  
But it's not like he wants to do so.

Komaeda will have no one, if that happened.  
He doesn't want to stop loving him.  
Naegi knew his love was true. He couldn't waste that.  
"It's going to be alright." He answers brightly "I know that."  
He can only aim for the best for now.  
Just try his hardest, try his best.  
"Just make sure to go to the hospital." Kirigiri replies, as everyone starts heading back to their seats "We don't want any of our classmates to get sick."  
He only smiles, he doesn't want to say "Yes" because it's a lie.  
And if he said "No" then it would make them even more worried.  
So a smile could be the answer to that.

He looks down at his desk, a variety of petals laying around on it.  
It looked more beautiful than the time he first acknowledged Komaeda's disease.  
It was unfair, how beautiful heartbreak is.  
It was a bad feeling. He wondered why the disease had to work like that.  
He doesn't know much about flowers. But he knows that the red roses symbolize love.  
He could look up the rest. Naegi wasn't the biggest fan of flowers' meanings but seeing how different they all were raised his curiosity.  
Maybe he could ask Komaeda, Komaeda liked these sort of things.

  
VII.  
Flowers are caring.  
When you think about it, some flowers can be used for medicine.  
A flower could heal a human. Another could kill.  
Now that I mention it, it's scary, isn't it?  
Especially when you have no knowledge of things like these.  
Hopefully, no one runs into any dangerous flowers.

He's not sure if he can keep it hidden anymore.  
It's been a month. The only ones who knew about how he caught the Hanahaki Disease are his classmates.  
He hasn't been facing Komaeda that often —he doesn't want to let him know yet— anymore. He rarely sees his family.  
He decided on telling them though.  
He's going to do so, today.  
He takes a deep breath before dialing his home's number.  
No one picks up immediately.  
It doesn't make it easier to relax.  
He's not even sure how they'd react.  
They'd probably overreact. His parents had always been that type.

"Hello?" His sister's voice shakes away his thoughts.  
"H-Hi Komaru." He answers, trying to stay calm.  
He probably can't tell her. He only has to tell their parents.  
"Onii-chan! How are you?" She still sounds cheerful "There aren't anyone picking on you, right?"  
"N-No!" He wonders where she got that idea from "I'm doing fine!"  
It certainly wasn't the truth. But, he's not doing bad.  
"Hey, Komaru." He could definitely tell them right now "Can I talk to mom or dad?"  
"You could tell me and I'll tell them instead!" He didn't want to tell her.  
It'd only upset her.  
"No. I have to talk to them. It's important." He emphasises on the word 'important', they have to know that.  
"Fine…" She sounds defeated, he felt a bit bad but it was a pretty ridiculous reason to feel upset over.

He hears some footsteps fading, then a louder sound of footsteps coming close.  
"Hello Makoto!" His mom sounds happy, he almost feels bad for planning to tell her about his illness.  
"Hi…" His voice is quiet, but he hopes that she can hear his smile.  
"You wanted to talk to me about something, right?" She asks, he hums "So, what is it?"  
His throat is dry.  
"I'm ill." He blurts out "You know about the Hanahaki Disease, right?"  
He closes his eyes, hoping for the best.  
"Did you catch it?" He hums "It's okay! I can pick you up to the hospital this weekend, is that fine?"  
He bites his lips.  
"No…" His voice is quiet "I'm not having a surgery."

"H-Huh?" Her voice grew more frantic "What do you mean you're not getting the surgery? Th-That disease is dangerous!"  
"It's okay." He answers positively "It's going to be alright, mom."  
"Why?" He could hear small sobs, he feels a bit bad "Why are you not going to remove it?"  
"I love him, mom." His voice shook a little "I can't lose my feelings for him. If I don't love him then-"  
"You're going to die, Makoto!" He can tell that she's extremely upset, and a little bit angry "Is that boy you like more precious to you than your own life?"  
"No." He answers, still smiling "He means to me as much as my own life means to me."  
They're both silent. He can hear his mother's crying more clearly.  
"I'm sorry." He answers "Maybe I shouldn't have told you in the first place."  
He hangs up.

  
VIII.  
Crushing flowers is easy.  
You just walk over them, and they're dead.  
Crushing love, however, is hard.  
It's difficult to convince someone to stop loving someone else.  
You can succeed however, if you're so stubborn.  
But you'll still fail if both sides are stubborn.

Naegi is pretty sure telling Komaeda wouldn't be that difficult.  
It's not like Naegi would tell him about his feelings. He'd just tell him about how he also got caught up in a one-sided love situation and got the disease because of that.  
He would understand that way.  
But for some reason, he still takes a deep breath before knocking the door.  
The door opens, Komaeda's face lightens a little bit.  
"Long time no see." His smile is bright, it's a nice sight to look at.  
When Naegi enters, he notices that there's no trace of any petals.  
Until one falls to the ground.  
He realizes that Komaeda still haven't removed the growing flower from his throat.

"So, what did you want?" Komaeda asks, he already has a new box of cards on the table.  
"Can I… confess something to you?" Naegi thinks asking that is the first step. He hopes Komaeda doesn't take it the wrong way.  
"It's fine." He doesn't sound too bothered by it, it's surprising "What do you want to say?"  
He was so beautiful. It made Naegi even more envious for not being able to date him.  
A petal fell from his mouth.  
"Ah… I see…" His tone sounds a bit sad "So you caught the disease, hm?"  
Naegi only nods. He knew that anyone could figure it out by only that detail.  
Another petal falls.  
"True love." He grabs the blue one "That's what this one symbolizes."  
A third petal falls.  
"That one symbolizes unrequited love."  
One last one falls.  
"Compassion."

"Komaeda-kun's amazing…" He smiles "You know all of these flowers and their meanings. It's impressive."  
"It's not that impressive." He looks a bit embarrassed, Naegi thinks it's pretty cute "Who do you like?"  
"That's… a secret…" He laughs awkwardly a little "But they mean a lot to me."  
"How much?" That wasn't that difficult to answer, right?  
"As much as my own life." He answers in confidence "I won't remove the flower, so I can keep on loving them."  
Then there's silence.  
"No." Komaeda's voice is low "That's too dangerous."  
"…Huh…?" Naegi didn't expect that answer "B-But… you're not going to remove it either."  
"It's different." He shakes his head "I'm already going to die soon. I have nothing left to live for. But, you can't die."  
"But you said that was true love." The words hurt a little "A-And I told you, I love them enough to die for them."

"Naegi-kun." His voice sounded a bit different "Why are you willing to go that far for someone?"  
"B-Because if I didn't, no one will ever do." His voice was a bit broken "But you don't understand."  
"You're going to die because of that!" Komaeda looked a bit angry, it was a rare sight to see "It's not worth it. It's not like they'd love you back."  
"I know!" Some tears welled up "It's one-sided love, I know that! But I-"  
Komaeda wraps him into an embrace.  
He coughs up more, more petals fly on his shirt "Let go."  
"I can't let you die." His heartbeats were fast, petals spilled everywhere "You know that, right?"  
"Let me go." Breathing was hard, Naegi almost felt that he's about to die.  
"I'd feel bad if my underclassman died." Komaeda's voice was quiet "So… you have to remove the flower, oka-"  
"I said let me go!" Naegi's voice was sharp, Komaeda hands immediately pulled away "You don't understand, Komaeda-kun! You'd never understand!"  
He runs away, leaving a trail of flowers' petals behind him.

  
IX.  
When faced by bad circumstances, flowers die.  
The weather could just change, and the flowers would still wilt.  
Some flowers, however, keep on living. Despite all the change.  
I wonder if they just keep on living by nature or if they're just strong-willed.

After that, they both avoid each other.  
It's been a week, but Naegi never went into Komaeda's dorm room even once.  
One might think that his feelings changed, but he still coughs up more petals.  
He still felt guilty when he thought about how his voice raised out of a sudden.  
He still felt bad when he remembered how fast Komaeda pulled away from him.  
Maybe he was scared? Was he really that scared?  
Naegi didn't want him to hate him. He didn't want Komaeda to be scared of him either.  
It's painful, both guilt and unrequited love weighing on him.  
Maybe he could apologize, but would Komaeda forgive him?

Would Komaeda even open the door to his dormroom?  
He's been there for weeks. No one saw him get out.  
Was he doing well? Did he eat? Is he alright? Is he going to be fine? Has he been taking care of himself?  
H-Has anyone heard from him?  
Thoughts began streaming out in Naegi's head. Various questions that might not have any answer.  
Maybe Komaeda thought that he'd just lock himself in his room, then die, knowing that no one will notice his absence.  
It was a very typical thought for him.  
Despite that, Naegi knows that he's going to notice that.  
He wonders what will be Komaeda's reaction if he knew someone cared for him.  
Would he be happy? That's a bit unlikely…  
He'd probably be so disappointed.

He walks around Komaeda's dormroom. He tries to gather courage to open the door, but he never does.  
"He hasn't been out for a week." A voice calls out, as he walks around.  
Perhaps… that might be Komaeda's classmate, right?  
"R-Really?" He pretends that he doesn't know that already "It's worrying."  
"That's rare." She says, eyes still focused on her game console "I thought no one else cared about Komaeda-kun."  
Naegi knew that none of his classmates got along with him.  
They probably found him obnoxious. Hard to get along with.  
"It's probably because we share the same talent." He answers, it's not a valid reason, it wasn't the true reason he was standing here.  
"Ah…"Her eyes still don't face his "So you're Naegi-kun?"  
"Y-Yeah..." He's uncertain how she knew that, maybe Komaeda mentioned him in one of his conversations "Naegi Makoto. The 78th class's Super High School Level Good Luck."

"Nanami Chiaki." She finally looks at him with a smile "The Super High School Level Gamer. Nice to meet you."  
He only nods.  
"So, Naegi-kun…" Her voice is gentle, Naegi can see why she also cared about Komaeda too "There's a reason why you care about Komaeda-kun, right? A reason that isn't 'having the same talent'"  
He bites his lips a bit. He couldn't tell her.  
"It's because…" He's his friend. His upperclassman. His beloved. His friend. His friend. His friend. His friend.  
"…He's my friend." A couple of petals fall as he says the last word.  
Nanami is silent, her expression is a bit sad. Naegi wonders how she could feel like that when she just met him.  
Not that he's not the same way, he'd feel the same.  
"You like Komaeda-kun, don't you?" It was more like stating a fact rather than asking a question.  
He averts his eyes from her.  
"I'm sorry…" She apologizes, he wonders why she's apologizing to him "He likes-"  
"It's okay, Nanami-san." He answers, voice choked up a little "I know."  
She bows a little, before walking away "See you later."  
He doesn't reply back, because he's not sure whether he'll live longer to see her later.

  
X.  
When a flower's life ends, it can't be revived anymore.  
But it might be possible for a flower to live again, under the identity of another flower.  
There's been no proof for reincarnation yet, though.  
But, hopefully it's true.  
Even if it's not scientifically accurate.  
Some stories can't end with death.

It's been three weeks. But no one heard from Komaeda.  
No one even witnessed him coming out from his room.  
Naegi decided he should finally face him.  
So, he stood in front of the door. And without taking any breaths, he knocked continously on the door.  
He couldn't stop his hands. They just continued knocking as his heart repeatedly wished that he wasn't dead.  
The door opened in a halt. But his hands still didn't move.  
"Are you okay?" Komaeda's voice was quiet, a bit wary "Why are you crying?"  
He couldn't speak, he couldn't even wipe the tears away.  
Komaeda only opens his arms wide, slowly.  
He quickly changes his mind, putting his hands down.  
Naegi can't help but cling to him on his own.  
Komaeda understands, so he pulls him away from the door, closing it.  
They both stand in silence, in the same position.  
Being in that position is painful, especially with the constant coughing.  
"I thought you died." The word 'died' is even harder to say.

"I'm not dead yet." Komaeda answers back, he's still smiling "It's soon, but it didn't happen yet."  
It's ridiculous how happy he is about dying, that's what Naegi thinks.  
"You can't." It should have been said in a fierce voice "Others will miss you."  
"Who?" Komaeda's voice is low, it hurts a bit "I don't think someone will miss me."  
Naegi is silent, for a while.  
"They rejected me." He continues, despite how hurt he sounds "The person I like rejected me. They said I didn't deserve their love."  
"They're wrong!" Naegi wondered how he loved someone like that "You're amazing! They know nothing about you!"  
Komaeda smiles a little. He probably couldn't have the power to refute Naegi's statement.  
"He's not wrong." Komaeda laughs a little "He's never wrong about anything. He's so smart, Naegi-kun."  
The response was too vague. Naegi couldn't make out who it was.  
But it's not like it mattered, not when both of them are on the verge of death.

"I will miss you." He finally answers Komaeda's question, despite that the response is too late "If you died, then I'll miss you."  
"Why?" Could he tell him? Was it okay to tell him?  
Wouldn't he be mad?  
"I love you." He tried to make sure to put as much feeling as he could in his words, but it was just so energy-draining "I love you, Komaeda-kun. That's why…"  
Does that how it feels like when you're dying? He wonders…  
Komaeda is silent. Naegi is not sure how to feel about it.  
It was sure unsettling.  
Then, he immediately proceeds to push Naegi away.  
Naegi continues to hold on to him.  
"Let go." Komaeda sounds numb, still his voice has power behind it "Let go of me."  
"No." It's not fair, it wasn't fair how he was against it when Naegi told him the truth.  
"Why me?!" His voice is loud, he doesn't sound angry, he sounds more like he's in pain "I-I can't love you back! But you chose me! And now I… now I'm killing you! Why did you have to love someone-"

"It's nice to feel your warmth." His weak voice replied "I've always been envious, because I couldn't be able to have you, so I'm glad I could feel it for the last time."  
Komaeda only covers his face with his hands.  
"I'm sorry…" He whispers, it's more agonizing to see him like that "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… It's all my fault… You're going to die because of me. I wanted to keep you safe from that all that time. Why did it have to end up like that? I'm so sorry."  
_You can't apologize when it's my fault_ , that's what Naegi wants to say, _You can't apologize because I loved you_.  
Yet, he only pushes him down, as they sink deeper in the petals.  
It'd be a beautiful sight, if they weren't dying.  
But, it already looked beautiful. It was a beautiful place to die in.  
"I'm glad that I could die with you, at least." He says it with a smile, laying on his back, as his hand clutches the hand next to him "Maybe if we die together, we can fall in love in another life."  
"What if it didn't happen?" Komaeda's question was pessimistic, but that didn't make him waver.  
"Then…" He answered, in confidence "I will keep dying, until we finally get to fall in love."  
Komaeda closes his eyes.  
"Then… I'll see you later."  
With a smile, Naegi replies back.  
"I hope I get to see you soon."  
Then he too closes his eyes.

nulla.  
Their eyes meet.  
A smile, and then a few tears.  
"I found you."  
Both of them say in unison.  
The same flowers will grow again.  
_> continue to I._


End file.
